Marie Louise de Bourbon

What people wore

Footwear for laborers

Respectable working-class men wore shoes and felt hats, but laborers sometimes wore wooden clogs for heavy work.

Daily life

Basic structure of rural peasant homes

Peasant homes were typically built of wattle and daub with thatched roofs, often consisting of a single room used for sleeping, working, and daily activities. Many rural homes had small windows without glass, and the floor was made of packed earth.

Work

Annual wages for servants

Servants were often paid annually, with a female servant receiving 24 to 33 livres plus small benefits, while a foreman might earn 84 to 90 livres.

Music

Cost of a village festival license

To host a village fair or festival, peasants applied for a license from the commandant that cost about one French crown.

At the table

Bread as the Daily Staple

Adult men were expected to consume between 4 and 5 livres of bread daily, making it the essential staple of their diet.

Getting around

Rapid descent by ramasse sled

When crossing the snowy Mount Cenis pass in the Alps, travelers could descend into Lanslebourg in just 15 minutes using a specialized sled called a ramasse.

What it cost

Cost of bread and meat

Bread was the essential staple, though its price fluctuated wildly; by the 1770s, it cost between 4 and 5 sols in the heart of the kingdom. Meat was expensive, with beef, mutton, or veal often costing 9 to 15 sols per pound.